


On Exchange

by IndigoMay



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Time Force, Power Rangers in Space
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-01-04
Packaged: 2017-11-23 13:57:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/622926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoMay/pseuds/IndigoMay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All four gifts I was assigned. The summaries are (in order):</p>
<p>PRiS: Summary: The Space Rangers find out why their identities had to be secret; or, Why The Media Is More Evil Than Darkonda, Dammit</p>
<p>PRLR: Dana wants in Carter’s pants, but she doesn’t think that he wants her. Carter is trying too hard to be a Noble Red Ranger, and Noble Red Rangers Do Not Go After Teammates. Ryan wonders how the two of them can be so dense.</p>
<p>SPD: Syd is flighty. Syd is whiny. Syd is absolutely gorgeous, and funny, and- damn it. Or, Sky Is In Denial.</p>
<p>PRTF: Wes wants to come out with their relationship. Eric isn’t so sure that’s a great idea. Somehow, this winds up getting told to that Pan Global and Olympic medalist sitting next to him in the bar. He might have to swear off alcohol.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Media Is Not Your Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anolinde](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anolinde/gifts).



Summary: The Space Rangers find out _why_ their identities had to be secret; or, Why The Media Is More Evil Than Darkonda, Dammit

Prompt: _Any Character; An exploration of what happens after the events of "Countdown to Destruction," preferably focusing on media treatment of the Power Rangers. How do the Space Rangers deal with their identities being known? Do they go on talk shows, get endorsements/endorse various charities? Do they get invited to awards shows, political conventions, etc.? Are there paparazzi? How do they use their fame, if they use it at all?_

_(Bonus points for mentioning how Earth reporters react to Andros and Zhane) Meanwhile, how do the older Rangers feel? Are they glad the spotlight's not on them, or are they jealous that the Space Rangers get the recognition they don't? Do any reporters manage to figure out their identities, based on the Space Rangers' acquaintances? If so, what happens then?_

* * *

 

After all the chaos with Andros being an _absolute idiot_ and the miraculous resurrection of Karone and the horrifying revelation that Zordon was dead, Cassie remembered that she had to go home and, oh, right, _everyone in the city knew that they were Power Rangers, **including her family**_.

She was in _so_ much trouble. The other Rangers had _told_ them not to reveal their identities, but they’d _had_ to, to save the _world_ , and Zordon was _dead_ , they’d failed to save them, and _everyone in Angel Grove knew_.

This was not good. Not good at _all_.

They’d come to the Surf Spot because it was somewhere Andros felt comfortable that didn’t have the older Rangers, and Andros had just _killed Zordon_ \- on Zordon’s orders, yes, but Andros had still been clinging to either Karone or Zhane or Ashley with a pale look of shock and horror.

Also, all of the Earthian Rangers were trying to avoid going home, because their parents _knew_ and _they weren’t supposed to know_ and _not good_.

Then Carlos turned on the TV and shit _really_ hit the fan.

* * *

 

After the screaming panic attacks and Andros’s attempt to destroy Adelle’s TV to calm the other Rangers ended (Zhane had needed to restrain him), the other Rangers eventually found them.

“This is probably why Zordon forbade us from revealing our identities,” Rocky said, looking frazzled. “It’s a _madhouse_ out there.”

“It was probably a good idea to hide out somewhere away from home,” Tanya said, her smile showing strain. “Your houses are _swarmed_ with reporters.”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Carlos said numbly, staring at the TV screen as HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS REVEALED TO BE RANGERS flared across the screen again. Zhane grabbed Andros’s arm before he could try to throw it again. Throwing off his concentration helped a _lot_.

Tommy glanced around the room (his gaze sticking for a minute on the old Pink Rangers for some reason) before clapping. “Okay! Everyone split up by color- you know what, Zhane, you’re with me and Carlos and Adam-”

“You were never Black,” Adam said, giving him a Look.

“Yeah, the last time you two were alone, you nearly killed yourself, not happening again.”

“Oh, _that_ you remember.”

“My memory’s not that bad!”

“YES IT IS,” all of the old Rangers chorused.

The banter broke the tension in the room, and Cassie was giggling before she realized.

“C’mon, let’s sit down,” Kimberly Hart said, tugging on Cassie’s arm. Cassie got up and walked with her, glancing over to check on her team. The Reds and Blues had grouped together, probably because Billy Cranston was still on some other planet and both Rocky and TJ had been Red and Blue.

“Has there been any backlash with you guys?” Cassie asked, feeling guilt in her stomach. There hadn’t been any other solution, she _knew_ that, but this one had caused so much _mess_.

Kimberly grinned. “Oh, I got ruled out. After all, the Pink Ranger was still in Angel Grove when I went for the Pan Globals.”

Cassie groaned and thunked her head on the table.

“And they only suspect me of being Zeo Pink, since I arrived after the Pink Ranger,” Kat said, shrugging. “That’s much easier to deflect.”

“It helps that we were insanely busy,” Kimberly continued. “Nobody seriously suspects Rangers out of people who taught classes at the Youth Center, did active and exhausting sports, got straight A’s, _and_ still had time for a bunch of extracurricular events, like racing for charity.”

“Our schedules were _really_ exhausting.” Kat nodded.

“I still don’t know how you managed,” Cassie grumbled. “But _everyone_ knows?”

Kat grimaced. “There were cameras- not from Bulk and Skull, surprisingly, you’d think they’d be the _first_ on this…but the news cameras got some shots and started reporting, and it spread like wildfire.”

Cassie felt her shoulder sag. They’d failed in _everything_.

“Hey.” Kimberly’s hand slid on her shoulder. “This isn’t your fault, Cassie. You did what you had to do.”

“We were supposed to save Zordon,” Cassie said, her voice thickening with choked-back tears. “We were supposed to stick to the three rules. We lost the Power Chamber, we lost Zordon, we did _everything_ wrong.”

“The UAE is down for the count,” Kat said, voice firm. “The Earth isn’t destroyed. You did the best you could, and that’s all anyone could ask.”

“It wasn’t enough,” Cassie said, turning to look at her.

Kat’s face was grim. “It never is.”

“No, Karone, _stop kidnapping Justin_ ,” TJ said behind her, sounding frustrated.

“I’m not kidnapping him, I want to _hug_ him.”

“Karone. Give him space.”

“We probably should,” Kim said, glancing over Cassie’s shoulder. “Justin isn’t taking any of this well.”

“We should have called him more,” Kat said quietly. Guilt coursed through Cassie at the reminder that _she_ had neglected that, too.

* * *

 

“What do we _do_?” Ashley asked after the other Rangers left, sounding distraught. “We’re not supposed to be famous! I don’t know how to be famous!”

“Take it calmly,” Andros said, the hypocrite.

“Calmly meaning _not_ flinging innocent TV sets?” TJ asked, dry as ever.

“It could be fun being famous,” Zhane said cheerfully. “We could make signs that say we disapprove of things, like abandoning your child.”

“You do not get to hold a grudge over Justin’s father,” Carlos said, frowning at the Kerovians. “We were his teammates. _We_ do.”

“ _Enough_ ,” TJ said, glaring at them all.

Cassie had a brilliant idea to settle everything.

“We could endorse charities,” she blurted out. All of them turned to her.

Ashley perked up. “Wait, we can endorse charities? Cassie, quick, call the others back, ask if there’s anything they want endorsed!”

The chatter eased and Cassie took a breath.

They were going to get through this.

* * *

This had to be the most awkward interview _ever_.

Of course, that could just be Cassie’s impression.

“How did _you_ become Rangers?” the reporter said, and Cassie would swear that he was _looking down his nose at them_. Asshole.

“The four of us were chosen by the previous Rangers,” TJ said, head held high. “If you’re wondering why people so young become Rangers, attempting to channel the Power through an older being- the cutoff is about thirty, for humans- it becomes dangerous and possibly fatal.”

Cassie blessed his brainy heart and Ranger-induced ability to bullshit.

“And you three?” another reporter said, glancing over at Andros, Karone, and Zhane.

Cassie tensed. They’d all agreed to downplay the fact that Karone was Astronema- she’d been _brainwashed_ for the invasion of Earth, and that was what people wanted her to pay for, and her foster father had died for her and her entire life was gone. And Andros had really been through enough.

Those were all justifications, and weak ones at that, but they had made their decision.

“We’re from KO-35,” Zhane said, turning on the charm. “Karone here served for a short time as our Purple before Dark Specter abducted her and used her as a body double for Astronema, and Andros and I have been Rangers for the past few years. Well, Andros has. I was in a coma for the past two.”

“And where is KO-35?” the snooty reporter asked.

“About nineteen hundred parsecs from here,” Andros said, ignoring Zhane’s Look.

“Parsecs- you’re from another _planet_?!” yet another reporter said, sounding scandalized.

“You couldn’t tell from Andros’s hair?” Zhane said, mischievous grin firmly in place. “I’m still not sure on the details- problem of being unconscious when all the fun stuff happens- but Andros wound up joining with these guys and I woke up to having a whole team and a brand-new quest.”

“It was _awesome_ ,” Ashley said, beaming at them.

“There were rumors of a young boy’s involvement- Justin Stewart?” another reporter asked, holding up a picture of Justin with Carlos.

Shit, shit, _shit_! _How_ had they gotten that?!

“He was brilliant.”

They all turned at Karone’s voice.

“Justin was brilliant,” Karone said, her voice growing stronger. “Astronema got interested, particularly since his father was a neglectful ass. They were protecting him.”

“Karone, if you would _refrain_ from insulting people,” TJ said, voice a little too calm.

Karone shrugged. “He left his son vulnerable to predators.”

“That sounds so much worse than it was,” Carlos objected.

“Astronema was a predator,” Karone said calmly. “She had access to him because of his father’s actions. Ergo, his father left him vulnerable to people willing to prey on young genii.”

“We are on live TV,” TJ said pointedly. “If you want to tell someone off, do it to their face.”

“We can never _find_ him,” Andros grumbled.

Cassie refrained from putting her head in her hands. This was not going to end well. At least it would give them a reputation of being good with kids.

* * *

“Why won’t they leave us _alone_ ,” Carlos whined, his hand going over his face.

“It would help if you stopped accepting invitations to birthday parties,” Andros said dryly.

“They’re little kids! What am I supposed to do, tell them I have to save the world? We already _did_ that!”

“You could just write back a polite note that apologizes and says you’re busy, but you wish that you could have attended.”

“Please don’t argue this _again_ ,” Cassie sighed, feeling thoroughly exasperated.

“We chose to show our faces to the world,” TJ said firmly, ignoring the pang of guilt that crossed Karone’s face. “We accept the consequences, including having to let little kids down once in a while.”

“But the princess birthday parties are so much _fun_ ,” Ashley said, looking over at Cassie. “All those little girls we can teach to properly throw a punch and stand up for themselves. Oh, Karone, there’s an letter for you here!”

Karone smiled shyly and reached out to take it.

Well, at least there were _some_ benefits to being a celebrity.


	2. No Seriously You Will Not Be Like Joel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Dana wants in Carter’s pants, but she doesn’t think that he wants her. Carter is trying too hard to be a Noble Red Ranger, and Noble Red Rangers Do Not Go After Teammates. Ryan wonders how the two of them can be so dense.
> 
> Prompt: Dana's liked Carter for a while, but he's so focused on being a Ranger that she doubts he'd ever think of her as anyone other than a teammate. Little does she know that, behind his aloof, professional facade, Carter is struggling against his attraction to Dana. He's supposed to be taking care of the bad guys, after all, not dating a coworker. Then there's the fact that she happens to be the boss's daughter. Bonus points for Ryan thinking they're both idiots, and nudging Carter into making a move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not precisely Joel-friendly.

One of the excellent perks of Ranger spandex was that Dana had a _really_ nice view of Carter’s ass. The downside was the fact that the only time he _wore_ Ranger spandex was when they were in public, and in public, Dana had to either fight for her life or be a Proper Pink Ranger, which meant that she had to _inconspicuously_ watch Carter’s ass.

Thankfully, the visor hid a _lot_. And she was shorter than him, so she didn’t have to look down as far as he would. Not that Carter would ever check out her ass. He wasn'tt attracted to her at all. Which sucked.

Today, however, they’d just finished up the new bad guy and Carter _happened_ to be standing far enough above her that she _had_ to tilt her head, and, well, no one would notice if her gaze was a little lower than it should be- they’d probably attribute it to her being too short to look high enough.

Her _really prime view_ of Carter’s ass got abruptly interrupted by Joel deciding to be an idiot to get Angela Fairweather’s attention. Dana _completely_ understood the doctor’s decision to blow him off every time he tried.

* * *

 

After Carter saved Joel from falling off of his Zord (he really, _really_ needed to stop trying to impress Dr. Fairweather- all he was doing was making himself look like an idiot, irritating all of them, and killing any chance he might have had with the good doctor), he glanced down and saw Dana looking up at him.

He felt a goofy grin tugging at his lips and was extremely grateful for the mask. Because he didn’t want to act like Joel- he _respected_ women, he was on the _job_ , they were _coworkers_ , and Dana was also his boss’s daughter and his other coworker’s sister. He absolutely refused to make as much of an idiot of himself as Joel did, and anyway, Dana was a doctor who’d gone to school and probably caught a lot of eyes there. He had no right to make any type of move.

Telling himself that never  _quite_ managed to suppress the impulse to grin every time he saw her. He turned around to finish clearing up the rubble.

He had a  _job_ to do.

* * *

 

They were at it again.

Ryan came to the inevitable conclusion that both his sister and Carter were idiots. And that his sister had good taste.

He completely didn’t understand the way humans tried to force limits on their libidos or tried to make something so simple insanely complicated. It was _not_ this convoluted with demons. If you wanted someone, you informed them and then let them make a decision from there. You didn’t _dance around_ the issue like this. Nor did you make crass comments due to the gender of the person opening their suit.

Joel was an _ass_ , particularly when he was drunk. What was _wrong_ with appreciating that Carter was extremely attractive?

Nevertheless. Ryan was determined to be A Good Brother, and Good Brothers facilitated their sister’s satisfaction. And that meant he had to get one of them to stop dancing around the issue and finally _come together_.

They usually divided by gender to change (which Ryan didn’t understand; it was a waste of space, and if anyone wanted privacy, well, _that was why they invented screens_ ). He’d nag Carter then.

* * *

 

Carter had completely not expected this.

One minute, he’d been quietly discussing the upcoming Olympics with Chad- Kim Hart was going in for gymnastics, and he’d seen her in the Pan Globals, she was _amazing_ \- and the next, he’d been dragged off by Ryan for reasons unknown.

“What’s going on?” he asked, keeping his voice low. If Ryan had spotted something and needed to keep it quiet…

“You need to ask my sister out. You’re both dancing around each other and it’s getting irritating.”

Carter choked on air. “ _What_?”

“My sister wants you,” Ryan said, arms crossed. “You want her. This is not that hard. Just go up, ask her if she wants to spend time alone, and there you both go. You’ve been dancing around it probably since you became a team, and it’s _really annoying_.”

Carter mouthed wordlessly, caught completely off guard.

“You have until dinner,” Ryan said, smiling cheerfully, “or next I tell Dana that you’re being an idiot and she has to be the one to ask you out.”

This was _seriously happening_.

“Good discussion we’ve had.” Ryan grinned and clapped him on the back before moving past him.

Carter was still caught on the realization that Dana’s brother had essentially ordered him to ask her out.

* * *

 

Dana grinned at Kelsey as they walked to the mess to eat.

“Hey, Dana! Dana!”

She turned to see Carter running down the hall and motioned for Kelsey to go ahead.

“What’s up?” she asked, smiling as he came to a stop next to her.

Carter swallowed, grinning shyly at her. That was a nice look on him. “Um, I wanted to know if you’d go to Upper Seven with me?”

Dana froze, her jaw going slack. Upper Seven- that was a pricey restaurant, one of the most recommended by-

“Carter Grayson, are you asking me out on a _date_?” Dana said, not bothering to hide her glee.

Carter _blushed_ , and wow, _that_ was a new one on her. “Um. Yes?”

She beamed at him. “Let me fix up my hair and dress and I’ll meet you in twenty.”

His eyes widened before he gave her the goofiest, most adorable grin she’d seen yet. “Great! That’s- that’s great, sure, I’ll meet you at the front of the base.”

“Sounds good to me.” She immediately started running- she’d have to look _really_ good for tonight!

Dana would _swear_ that was her brother doing a victory cheer as she ran by.


	3. Yes, Sky, You're An Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Syd is flighty. Syd is whiny. Syd is absolutely gorgeous, and funny, and- damn it. Or, Sky Is In Denial.
> 
> Prompt: Sky POV: Syd annoys Sky. Like, *really* annoys Sky. She's flighty, she's self-centered, and she cares more about keeping her clothes clean than keeping up her training. But what annoys Sky the most about Syd is the way he can't stop looking at her, or thinking about her, or dreaming about her... Bonus points for Bridge being the first to figure it out, and Jack teasing the hell out of Sky for it. Note: obviously, Syd isn't really that shallow. Sky's just being a dunce. ;)

Sky was completely and utterly annoyed. They were _supposed_ to be training, but instead Princess Syd _had_ to make sure that all her _clothes_ were okay.

Seriously? The only ones who had the right to worry about clothes were Z and Jack, and that was because they had needed to worry about it their whole _lives_ and he couldn’t expect them to turn it off just because of a sudden change.

Seriously, though. Syd was driving him _insane_. She was more prone to check how she looked than how well she did, she’d go off to do something else when _she had an assigned job_ , and then she’d go and look _pretty_ or be funny and- gah.

Sky had…Issues with Syd from day one. It certainly didn’t help that _Bridge_ had been the one to tell him, seriously- he got that Bridge was an empath, but Sky was still flabbergasted that he had _known_.

It wasn’t a huge issue. He had it _completely_ under control. Just…sometimes he’d catch himself watching her when he shouldn’t have been, or thinking about her when she wasn’t at _all_ related to the task at hand…and there were _dreams_ , but he had beaten those! Mostly.

It had been less before _Jack and Z_ figured out his small, inconsequential preoccupation with her. And then he was _never left alone_ about it. If there was a snide aside to make or some “innocent” way to allude to it, one hundred percent guarantee, _they would_.

And Syd didn’t even _notice_! Sky wasn’t sure if that was galling or relieving- on one hand, she would never say anything, but on the other…

He didn’t even know. He just had to keep himself _under control_.

If only Syd would stop driving him mad!

* * *

 

Cruger had decided that the Rangers needed more flexibility. Kat probably suggested it to him. She also probably didn’t mean for him to take it so literally.

Apparently Kimberly Hart-Oliver, Pan Global and Olympic medalist, had been the First Pink Ranger. Syd’s squeals were probably heard in KO-35. She was also supposed to be their instructor for the day, teaching them the value of being able to move easily and quickly.

Seriously. He had Bridge for a teammate, who regularly stood on his head. None of them needed this.

Mrs. Hart-Oliver seemed to realize this, as she’d given them some fairly hands-off exercises. She and Syd (who’d finished just after Bridge) were talking fashion and singing (apparently, Kira Ford’s much-vaunted teacher was her husband). Z (who had finished after her) was talking on the phone with someone named Willie, who had worked with someone who had worked with her father.

Sky should have known from her surname, but he’d never expected Z to be Danny Delgado’s daughter (it, of course, had nothing to do with him trying _really hard_ not to remember the team that his dad had died with; Mirloc had taken an entire team with him that day).

“Pity _Syd_ finished up so quickly,” Jack murmured, grin firmly in place.

Sky glared at him.

“You were _totally_ obvious when you stared,” Jack continued. “Seriously, it was like your eyes were-”

“Back on task, Cadet Landors!” Mrs. Hart-Oliver snapped, making Sky jump. Since when was such a tiny woman so _loud_?

Sky finished with the exercises Mrs. Hart-Oliver had given them (and he was reluctantly impressed by their flexibility- he was pretty sure human bodies _were not meant to move that way_ ). He wandered over to look at the angle of the sun (the fact that it brought him closer to Syd was incidental).

“…and he thinks I fuss more with my clothes than the job,” Syd said indignantly. “I’m sorry, I _get_ the job done, _and_ I like to look nice. What’s the big deal?”

She was really distracting from the sun. Which had changed angles. And he could totally see Jack snickering at him from whatever discussion he was having with Bridge. When did he finish?

Mrs. Hart-Oliver laughed. “Talk about irony- his father’s lover said the same type of things about his father.”

Sky froze. She’d _known_ his father? Of course she had- she was a _Ranger_ , on the same team as the First Green, who was notorious for keeping information on every Earthian or Earth-originating team.

“How do you know that?” Syd asked, her voice turning sly.

“I was the girl in the bar he was ranting to.” Mrs. Hart-Oliver laughed. “Eric was always an ornery drunk. Wes had finally tried to make their relationship public- and about time, _everyone_ knew by then, Wes didn’t have a subtle bone in his _body_. But Eric, of course, freaked and then had to go out and calm down and I wound up in the same bar he went to.”

“What’d you do?”

“I was originally just going to let him rant himself out, but then Wes charged in,” Mrs. Hart-Oliver said, snickering. “If only I’d had a camera for _that_ scene.”

“Any advice?”

“Since he’s eavesdropping, I won’t tell you yet.”

“ _Sky_!”

Crap.


	4. Bar-Hopping With Kim Hart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Wes wants to come out with their relationship. Eric isn’t so sure that’s a great idea. Somehow, this winds up getting told to that Pan Global and Olympic medalist sitting next to him in the bar. He might have to swear off alcohol.
> 
> Prompt: Wes wants to go for the relationship, but Eric is conscious of what the other Silver Guardians - not to mention Wes's father - would think. Happy ending! =) Alternately, I'd love to see Wes and Eric when they're in boarding school together - with Wes wanting a relationship, and Eric still confused/angry about his feelings. It might be easy for the rich, popular kid (read: Wes) to get away with being gay, but the other students would never let Eric live it down. Not so happy ending. =(

Eric really has no idea how he got to this bar.

Oh, he remembered the events that led to this- his fight with Wes, the resulting stormout- but he really couldn’t say what had drawn him to this specific bar.

Oh well. He was here, and he was going to get fucking drunk like he hadn’t since his scholarship had run out and he thought he’d never see Wes again.

He’d just sat down to get a damn drink when someone took the seat beside him.

“Bad night?” the woman said, and he reluctantly turned to face her, knowing that Wes would have been (more) irritated if he had been there and Eric had ignored her.

“You could say that,” he said, and then he recognized her.

He’d seen Kim Hart in the Olympics- she was a damn good gymnast and had _earned_ that gold medal.

“Eric Myers, right?” she said, smiling at him. “Kim Hart, Original Pink. What’s got you out in a bar without your partner?”

Also that. Eric tried not to scowl at the mention of his lover. Sure, she meant it completely innocently, but the thought that they were so obvious galled him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want Wes. It was that he liked his job, which had a bunch of ex-military or military wannabes, none of whom were notable for being accepting towards gay people. Wes would be fine- he was the boss’s son- but Eric didn’t have that safety net. He never had.

“Had an argument,” he said, keeping his tone blunt. “What brings you to Silver Hills?”

“Gymnastics circuit.” Kim Hart shrugged. “But a fight with him brought you here? Really?”

Eric shrugged. What was _her_ interest?

“Are you two actually dating?”

Eric had _just_ taken a drink when she said that.

“Sorry!” Kim Hart yelped, grabbing napkins. “Sorry, there are just rumors- a lot of rumors- and there may or may not be a betting pool, but if you investigate that, I didn’t tell you.”

“ _Betting pool_?!” Eric spluttered, helping her clear off the mess. “On what, whether we’re dating or not?”

“Pretty much?” Kim gave him a sympathetic grin. “Granted, there are also betting pools on Tommy and Jason. And Adam and Rocky. And…you know what, we just have betting pools on everything dating-wise.”

“Even Justin?”

“It took us a few years to realize that he had hormones, but after that, yeah.”

Eric almost laughed.

“Seriously, though.” Kim tilted her head. “You and Wes have a fight, and now you’re getting drunk? Do you need advice or something? I’m pretty good at giving advice.”

Eric shook his head, accepting the new glass and drinking. “It’s nothing.”

“Hence the alcohol,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

Eric shrugged, taking another drink.

“I’m not stupid, Eric,” Kim Hart said, rolling her eyes.

“What, do you want me to say that I’m not ready to tell everyone Wes and I are dating?”

 _What_ had prompted that coming out of his mouth?

Kim’s eyes had gone wide. “That would explain the spit-take. My lips are sealed. May I ask why not?”

“Because his father is my employer and we work in a profession mostly occupied by military wannabes or ex-military, none of whom are particularly flexible about sexuality? Also that Wes is being completely stupid about it. He _knows_ where I come from and what I do, and it’s not something that can be fixed by his grin or taking off– what, am I making you _uncomfortable_?”

“No.” Kim’s eyes were wide and focused behind him. “But since Wes is standing behind you, you might want to turn around.”

Eric froze, staring at her for a moment.

“She’s serious,” Wes said. “And you hate bars. What are you doing here?”

“Getting drunk. Did you _follow_ me?”

“Not on purpose!”

“You hate bars _just as much as me_!”

“Hence why I came to one! I thought you wouldn’t _be_ here!”

“If only I had a camera,” Kim Hart mused.

Wes had somehow infringed on his space, and Eric stood up to make him step back. It didn’t work.

“And you didn’t think about what I’d be thinking? No, you never do that-”

“Bullshit, Eric-”

“I think those are your men,” Kim said.

“Which of us brought this up? Hell, which of us _started this in the first place_?”

“Well, it’s not like _you_ would have made a move-”

“I think they’re exchanging money. We must not be the only ones with betting pools.”

“And what made you think that was a good idea-”

And that was when Wes, _the idiot_ , kissed him. The raucous cheering caught Eric’s attention- well, as much as he could spare.

“I don’t think you’ll have any problems with your men,” Kim Hart said complacently. “Next round on me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, when you have a multi-chaptered work drafted, you have to un-draft every chapter. That's on the List of Thing I Did Not Know, alongside "no, you don't have to do all four prompts." Whoops!


End file.
